


The Last Jedi Continues

by Vezalay



Category: Kylo Ren - Fandom, Rey - Fandom, Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Last Jedi, ben solo - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Ghosts, Gray Jedi, Jedi, Jedi Rey, Kylo Ren Redemption, Lightsabers, Millennium Falcon - Freeform, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Reylo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 16:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13391646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vezalay/pseuds/Vezalay
Summary: Set shortly after the events of TLJ, Kylo Ren is torn between destroying the Resistance and saving Rey's life. It's an action packed adventure story exploring Kylo Ren's redemption. Characters from the Phasma novel make a short appearance. Feel free to review!





	1. After Crait

Kylo Ren stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the repair bay watching droids endlessly  shuffle about. The losses caused by Admiral Holdo and her shameless attempt at heroics had taken some time to recover. The damage to the fleet had been significant but not critical. Hux's incompetence still grated on Kylo Ren's nerves. The heavy-cruiser, Raddus had clearly been preparing to jump to light speed, yet in Hux's arrogance and inane ignorance, he did nothing. Kylo Ren once again considered killing Hux as he peered into the repair bay.

Officer Mitaka approached, "Supreme Leader," he began his address, "We have located the resistance base below on Tarik. It appears the rebels are attempting to signal for help from the outer rim systems. We traced a transmission through Tatooine."  
Kylo Ren slowly turned from the window to face the officer, "You have the base on scanners?"  
"Yes, sir, we await only your orders to fire and destroy it." He answered.  
Kylo Ren's eyes took on a glow with a stinging fire that made Mitaka flinch instinctively.  
"How many life forms?" He asked, his voice cracking with tension.  
"Twenty, sir."  
Kylo Ren turned back to the window.  
"Sir, the transmission from the surface appears to have been signed by General Leia herself. It is an excellent opportunity to eliminate the last of the resistance leadership."  
Silence fell over the officer as he felt tightness form in his throat that could only have one explanation.  
"Ready my vessel." Kylo Ren ordered, his voice stronger again, no longer contemplative.  
The officer's shoes clicked on the slick black floor as he fled the dark lord.  
Lost in thought, Kylo Ren made his way to his chambers, he immediately passed through his small, but distinguished room to the window. The position of Supreme Leader did have some advantages.  
Kylo Ren's eyes narrowed as he studied the planet before him, the image fading away into the outline of a girl. Her familiar form invading his vision once again.  
"It's you." His said quietly as her features solidified before him.  
"Why is this still happening?" She asked, glancing around him, avoiding looking at his eyes.  
"Trust me, I wish it didn't." He said, his gaze never leaving her face.  
"Your mother..." she began, but stopped, glancing to her left.  
"What about my mother?" He asked his eyes narrowing, not wanting to give away that he knew her location and soon would be on his way to continue the conversation in person this time.  
"She's ill, Ben, I mean...Kylo."  
His concern turned to hurt for just a moment as she corrected herself, remembering how she had called him 'Ben' in Snoke's throne room.  
"What is wrong with her?" He asked trying with every fiber of his being to seem indifferent but knowing that Rey could probably sense exactly how he felt anyway, if his familiarity with her feelings was any indication.  
Rey softened slightly, "We don't know, she fell ill shortly after we left Crait, after Luke..." she bit her lip as his face hardened upon hearing the name of his uncle, "The medical droids can't explain it."  
"If only she would give up her foolhardy plans. I could help her."  
"She's not foolhardy." Rey countered.    
He was about to challenge her with a defense of the First Order and all the political responsibilities his mother never understood when a beam of red emanated from the ship somewhere below his feet and shot out toward the planet before him.  
"No!" He jolted forward, finger tips pressing against the glass in front of him.  
"What is-" but she didn't have time to finish, her form fell to the ground and she disappeared.  
"Rey!" He shouted. He spun toward the console behind him, slamming his fist into the communications panel, "Who ordered you to fire?" He bellowed.  
The officer who had the misfortune of manning the bridge communications station answered, voice quivering, "General Hux did, Sir."

* * *

Rey rubbed her head gently, noting dripping blood from two separate places. She hadn't hit the floor hard, but the pieces of glass and wood at her feet from the ancient structure that housed them lay all around her guiltily. She tested her legs carefully and pulled herself to her knees. Her eyes began to focus on the chaos surrounding her but sounds were still coming to her jumbled and garbled.

Her eyes settled on the man who had introduced himself as Poe a few days before. He lay on the ground a few feet away from her, tilted to his side, appearing unconscious and bleeding from light lacerations as well.  
"Rey, are you ok?" She heard a man's voice asking her. Where was it coming from?  
"Rey, can you hear me? Are you ok?" The voice asked again, more desperately this time.  
"Yes," she answered, her own voice sounding strange to her numb ears.  
"Can you stand up? We need to get out of here. Now." She recognized Finn finally, pulling her to her feet and securing a steadying arm around her waist.  
As he started guiding her to an opening that only moments ago stood as a firm wall she glanced back. BB-8 was inspecting Poe with his diagnostic scanners , "Wait, we need to help Poe."  
"Rose and Connix are getting him on a repulser gurney," he answered, pulling her forward.  
A few other Resistance fighters shuffled past them into the waiting Millennium Falcon, wheeling a makeshift gurney of their own, balanced atop was General Leia, still inside the bacta tank.  
"Is she ok?" Rey asked, her voice hoarse.  
"No change since before the explosion." Finn answered as he shifted to push her up the ramp in front of him.  
She looked back at him, hesitating, "Why haven't they fired again?"  
Finn shook his head in bewilderment, "No idea, but we're not waiting here to see what else the First Order has in mind."  
She nodded, the motion making her head swim momentarily.

* * *

 

"Send a comm to the others, tell them we will rendezvous on Tatooine." Lieutenant Connix's voice was low and tired.  
It had been a controversial decision, the group had broken into three different factions on the matter of where to go next.  
Tensions were still running high as the order was given.  
"I still say it's suicide," a voice grumbled from somewhere in the huddled group.  
Connix looked around the group again, "Leia knew it was time to gather support for the Resistance from around the galaxy and enlist the support of other members of the Populist caucus of the former New Republic if we have any chance of defeating the First Order."  
Rey shifted uncomfortably, her head aching.  The talk turned political but through the haze that still encompassed her thoughts from the blast and her limited access to political news on Jakku she had difficulty following the debate.  
Quietly, she slipped out of the group and limped slowly into the makeshift medbay. Rose was applying a bacta bandage to Poe's forehead when she arrived.  
"You alright?" She asked.  
"Yeah, I've seen worse." He answered, his brow furrowing slightly as he caught sight of her limp. "Has anybody looked at your leg?"  
"It's nothing..." she waved him off.  
Rose looked at her, "It isn't nothing, we have plenty of med supplies, for now anyway. You should sit down and let me look at it."  
"What about General Leia?" Rey asked as she gazed reverentially into the bacta tank.  
"I don't know, she seemed to slip away somehow, after Crait. Then she started to look pale and stopped eating. The next day...well, this..." Rose motioned to the tank.  
"The droids at the base?" Rey asked.  
"They ran every possible scan." Rose whispered. Rose was not especially trained in medicine but her familiarity with tech easily made her the most qualified among them.  
Suddenly, the tank started beeping, breaking Rey's train of thought.  
"What does that mean?" Rey asked, glancing back at Poe and Rose but they were already closing the distance.  
Rose's fingers began tapping the control panel, putting in instructions Rey didn't understand.  
"She's...waking up." Rose said, engaging the opening procedures of the bacta tank.


	2. Leia

Kylo Ren burst through his chamber doors.

"Your vessel is ready, Sir," a voice cracked over the comms. The speaker unit on the wall sparked and exploded into flames as he passed.

The bridge doors flew open in front of him just as troopers entered from the entrance on the opposite side of the room. Phasma stood conspicuously by Hux, holding her rifle at ready. Whatever pain she experienced from her burns on Snoke's ship, she never let on. She was always a warrior, always a survivor.

Hux's face matched his flaming red hair, his skin unable to hide his anger and anxiety in that moment.

"Ren, good of you to join us." Hux quipped, feigning indifference.

"You did not have orders to fire on that base!" Kylo Ren shouted, reaching his hand menacingly toward Hux.

Hux tilted his head slightly and in unison the troopers raised their rifles to ready, trained on Kylo Ren. It was obvious that Hux was trembling but he was not giving in.

Hux sighed, still maintaining his act, if not convincingly, "You see, Supreme Leader," his voice dripping with sarcasm, "my objective here is to maintain order in the galaxy and quell any, ill-advised rebellion. Your hesitation cost us the advantage as it was, two groups of rebels escaped and jumped to light speed before we could trace them."

"You had my specific order not to fire on any Resistance bases without my direct approval." Kylo Ren growled.

Phasma's clipped accent sounded tinny as it permeated the vocal modulator of her mask. "Could we focus on the task at hand; the rebels have escaped once again. Send a team down to scan their hardware on the surface, attempt to decode their systems and determine their strategy."

Hux straightened his uniform slightly, as if goading Kylo Ren to strike. Guards emerged from the doors behind Kylo Ren; Hux smiled slightly, his eyes were rimmed in red as he raised one eyebrow slightly, "With your...permission...Supreme Leader."

 

* * *

 

Rey sat down and took Leia's outstretched hand, their fingers folded around each other's palms. Leia sat; half reclined in the med bay of the Millennium Falcon, dry now and covered in a soft blanket.

Rey glanced behind her, noticing the others had filed out the door quietly.

"My son, Ben," Leia whispered.

Rey nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. She could tell Leia's time was short but there was so much left to say, and ask, and learn.

"Ben needed me and his father," she shook her head. "I never should have sent him away. My work in the Senate seemed so important, and Han always needed to be free to live his own life." Her eyes closed slowly for a moment. "I told myself Luke could help him more than we ever could. I always sensed the confusion in Ben; I thought Luke could help give him direction."

Rey felt any words she could find in her mind completely inadequate, her mouth went dry and she swallowed pensively.

"I tried to turn him back." Rey said, her voice quaking, remembering how she had thought Ben had come back to the light for a few glorious moments while they fought off the Praetorian guards on the Supremacy. She looked down at Leia's hand in hers; he had refused to stop the attack on the Resistance ships. That's when she realized that he was still entrenched in the dark side of the Force.

"It wasn't your fault," Leia met her eyes and gave a consoling smile. "It wasn't Luke's fault or mine...not really. My son is responsible for his own choices, his own fall to the dark side." Leia sighed and nodded, "Snoke may have tempted him, but he chose his path freely. Only he can choose to come back."

Rey bit her quivering lips, "I still see him," she whispered.

Leia nodded, "I know." She took full breath, feeling the air and the Force welling up inside her. "And when you see him again, I want you to tell him something."

Rey started shaking her head as if she could somehow hold back the inevitable, but Leia focused on her eyes, stopping Rey’s refusal instantly.

Rey wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"Ok," she nodded, promising with everything inside her to make him listen to her, one more time, even if it was hopeless.

 

* * *

 

"Your son is dead."

Kylo Ren sat up in bed, the dream of his father dying; sacrificing his life, always drove him to wakefulness.

Kylo had spat those words at his father. Snoke had such a tight grip on him then, he was almost convinced they were true. No one had called him ‘Ben Solo’ in such a long time. He often felt like that part of him died the night his uncle, Luke, tried to murder him in his sleep. That day on Starkiller Base, he had felt Han, he had known he was there before he had even seen him.

His father, who had loved him. His father who could never bring himself to be present. He who had never found where he belonged himself couldn't offer belonging to anyone.

His mother, Leia was so strong she had never minded. Leia found belonging in her work, she always had. She was strong enough to let Han go. She hated to see him climb aboard the Millennium Falcon, but she managed. Ben, on the other hand, always felt adrift and alone during his father's absences, like his life was a in a random loop and he was always waiting. He waited for his father to come home and then waited for him to leave, but hoped foolishly, that this time he wouldn't

He pushed himself out of bed, it wasn't worth trying to go back to sleep anymore.

Kylo Ren sat in his chambers alone, completely still. Darth Vader's broken mask lay before him. Everything he had known was breaking in front of his eyes. Hux had essentially usurped his command, and did so publicly, so as to inflict the utmost humiliation.

Kylo Ren had sensed multiple force users in the room and even his considerable skill and knowledge of the Force was not enough to overcome the legion of troopers Hux had in place on the bridge.

_I could have done it with Rey._  He thought to himself, immediately the humiliation and pain of her rejection stung him again. If only she had stayed with him, he would never have to endure humiliation as he did today.

"Don't do this, Ben. Don't go this way." Her words replayed in his mind in a never ending loop.

Why didn't she let go? She couldn't see outside of her own point of view, couldn't see all that they could have accomplished side by side.

_It's because she's just an uneducated scrapper._  He thought to himself, trying to hold that image in his mind, but it never stuck. He always knew she was more than that.  _She knows she's more than that_ ; he couldn't help but admit to himself.

He stared at the mask until he thought his eyes could bore a hole into the cool, rough metal twisted by flame and heat.

His comms unit sounded as a transmission from the bridge came through.

"Supreme Leader, I'm sorry to disturb you. We have intercepted multiple communications between several Populist leaning worlds that General Leia Organa has died. General Hux insisted you be told immediately."

Kylo Ren didn't move. He didn't breathe until his body began to ache from the lack of oxygen.

In one violent motion, his gloved hand swept Darth Vader's mask off the stand and bashed it into the floor in front of him.

"I did everything to follow you, Grandfather!" He shouted as he turned to slam the mask fragments into the comms unit that had just relayed the transmission. The mask shattered into half-melted, twisted, black shards scattered all over the floor around him until he was holding nothing but dust in his hand.

Kylo Ren's tall, dark figure fell to the floor on his knees.

"Rey!" He groaned, never more alone than in that moment. Teardrops mixed with the metal fragments in front of him.

 

* * *

 

Tatooine was an all too familiar-looking sight for Rey. She squinted her eyes against the harsh suns as she walked down the ramp of the Millennium Falcon into the desert, so similar to Jakku.

Finn stopped by her side, "Like old times, huh?" He tilted his chin up, jovially motioning to the open desert, dotted only with a few abandoned huts. Rey smiled, not wanting to hurt his feelings, she knew he remembered Jakku in a fonder light than she did.

Poe descended the ramp behind them, "Where are we meeting Vi Moradi?"

"Who?" Finn asked, glancing back.

"She's a spy, for the Resistance, she's recently escaped from the Battlecruiser Absolution." Rey answered, having been in the cockpit when Vi's transmission had come through, she had already asked all these questions.

"How did she get off the Absolution?" Finn asked incredulously.

"You know it?" Poe asked.

"Yeah, I know it. That's where they take all the kids they kidnapped and train them to be storm troopers."

Rey gave Finn a compassionate look, she wasn't the only one with a difficult past, "I'll see you soon. I need some time..." She said softly, not able to shake the conviction that everyone she cared about would leave her just as her parents had.

Finn squeezed her arm for a second as she passed by, silently understanding. Leia's passing had affected them all deeply.

Suddenly, he reached for his blaster and aimed at one of the disheveled huts. Rey spun to see two figures emerging from the low door.

Expecting storm troopers, and reaching for her own blaster, she was stunned to see two rather unassuming individuals holding their hands up toward Finn. Neither of them had missed his panicked action.

"Finn, what-" Poe asked looking the individuals over and back at Finn, "That's Vi, she's the one we're meeting."

"No, it's a trap! That's Cardinal, he's using her." He answered, "He's one of Hux's right hand officers. He trains children to be storm troopers!"

"Rey!"

Rey heard his voice, so full of sorrow, barely a groan.

She moved away from the group, their excited voices fading in her ears. She rounded the Millennium Falcon, finding only sand.

"Rey," he cried again, this time the voice felt more substantial, solid, but still mired in agony.

She saw him then, kneeling on the course sand beside one of the lonely huts, a Force projection again.

She ran to him, but as she did, he began to disappear, "No," she breathed, picking up her pace. She had to speak to him, but as she came closer, his image faded into nothing. She was standing alone by the hut, his form completely vanished from view, "Ben, why were you calling out to me?" She whispered.

Rey shifted uneasily in the large chair in which she had curled up, at least an hour before, hoping to find rest, maybe sleep, if she was lucky.

Vi Moradi had slipped by the room only moments ago, she looked exhausted but pleasant. Finn had eventually come to an understanding with Cardinal after Poe had convinced him to put his weapon down, but Rey felt like he was watching Cardinal closely throughout the evening.

She shifted again, willing sleep to come but her mind wouldn't let go of the image of Ben Solo, weeping and calling her name. He had seemed so broken, so desperate. Her mind flashed to his offer several days before. He had seemed torn then as he begged her to stay with him, but something was different about him this time.

As she sat wrapped in the blanket, remembering, reliving every feeling she sensed from him, she felt the connection open between them again. She could see him, clearly this time, sitting in front of her, almost as solid as if he were really there.

Ben Solo was looking at her. His face was haggard, his eyes swollen from tears.

"Rey," his voice was low and rough.

Her heart began to pound, her mind was crowding with everything she had promised Leia she would say but his next words stopped her.

"How did she die?"

Rey lowered her head, "Ben, I'm so sorry."

"Was it my fault?" His voice was calm but burning underneath the surface she could sense a fire.

"No," she shook her head, deciding on words carefully, "the First Order, they didn't hurt her, she...chose this somehow." It wasn't the actual answer to his question, but it was true enough for that moment.

His mouth contorted against his will, his composure evaporated. He leaned his elbows on his knees and lowered his head into his hands.

Rey pulled her feet out from under her and set them on the ground, leaning toward him, inching closer, longing to touch him. She saw his body shake in a silent sob.

Leia's words flooded back to her, quietly she said, "She wanted me to tell you...she made me promise."

He shook his head, never raising his eyes to look at her. Rey couldn't resist the pull she felt any longer, she placed a hand on his arm.

It wasn't like when they touched on Ahch-To, with force visions of the future surging into her mind. It was still, quiet. She wasn't even sure if he could feel her hand.

Then his hand moved to cover hers, warm and still wet from tears.

He raised his eyes to look in hers, "What did she say?"

Kylo Ren searched Rey's eyes, glistening in the warm light of the unsteady electric light.

"She says you still feel the pull to the light," Rey answered, her voice trembling.

He pulled away from her then, her hand dropping back to her lap.

"She was wrong," he answered darkly.

"Search your feelings, you know it's true." Rey implored.

"Did she say anything else?" His voice had a deadness to it now.

"She loved you, she always loved you, even..." Rey's voice broke as a sob caught in her throat, Kylo Ren saw the red gleam of his light saber piercing Han Solo's body flash across her mind. "No matter what you did," she finished weakly.

His face worked in a battle against his emotions, contorting and fighting against the urge to lose all control and be shaken by violent sobs once again.

He stood up and circled his chair before facing her once again, "What else?"

Rey took a deep breath, slowly, "She knew there is still good in you."

"Stop!" He commanded.

"No, if you're so committed to the dark side of the force to…to Darth Vader, then why can't you hear this? I can feel your confusion, Leia did too." Rey said standing to her feet to meet his eyes, "It's tearing you apart. Snoke is gone now, you killed him, and you broke his hold on you. We both know why."

"It was my chance to take his power, to gain command of the First Order." Kylo Ren stood even taller somehow.

"You know that isn't true," she said softly yet holding her ground.

"It won't matter for long anyway, not if Hux is successful in what he seems to have planned."

He turned away from her, trying to shield himself from the guilt and shame he felt when her eyes bore into his, seeing through his facade that fooled so many others.

He wanted to reach across the lightyears and pull her toward him, to hold her beside him where she belonged. As if holding her close to him could make her see everything as he did, would make her understand the galaxy as he did.

It would never work, even if he could hold her, her spirit would never be his. Rey was everything he was not and he could never control her, she was his equal in every way.

"Would you have stayed," he proceeded quickly, but still not turning to face her, so as to protect himself from her rejection that would inevitably come once again. "If I had ordered an end to the attack on the Resistance transport ships, would you have stayed with me?"

"That's not fair, Ben." She whispered.

Ben spun to face her but it was useless, he had already felt her slip away. He closed his eyes for a moment.

He slowly walked out of his quarters and into the cockpit of his command ship. The crew was performing the last preflight checks.

"At your ready, sir." The captain said, respectfully avoiding eye contact.

"To Riosa," Kylo Ren commanded as the ship's engines engaged.

"Yes, sir."


	3. Reckoning

Rey looked down at her trembling hand, remembering the warmth of his hand covering her own.

"What was that?" A woman's voice asked from the door.

"Vi," Rey grimaced, shaking her head.

"What just happened here?" Vi pressed again.

"It's difficult to explain." Rey answered.

"Ok," Vi said, moving closer to her, "So, I gather you've met Kylo Ren..." She nodded casually, in a blatant attempt to get Rey to open up to her.

Rey nodded slowly.

"He asked you to stay...with him?" Vi tilted her head and raked her fingers through her hair.

Rey nodded again.

"But you said no, the First Order thing...that was the problem." Vi surmised, motioning to Rey, palms up.

"Yeah, it's a problem." Rey looked away.

"But if it wasn't..."

"I don't know." Rey answered quickly.

"The whole dark side thing?" Vi pressed her lips together.

Rey sighed standing to her feet, "I need to get some air."

Poe, Finn and Connix stared in disbelief at the transmissions coming in to the comms console.

"What is it?" Rey asked, coming up behind them into the make shift control center they had set up in the largest hut of the abandoned village.

"There's something happening in the First Order. It's not completely clear." Connix answered.

Rey looked at the console herself.

Poe motioned to the map, "Kylo Ren's command ship separated from the rest of the fleet. Since then, the fleet's movements have changed, they became chaotic at first, and then..."

"What?" Rey asked.

"We're not sure." Poe answered, he shook his head once.

"We need eyes on the inside, it's the only way we're going to find out what they're up to." Vi said, striding up to the group.

Cardinal waited behind her, looking unsure about entering the room.

"We're running out of options and man power." Poe responded.

"We have an asset now," Vi said motioning to the figure leaning against the door.

"What could he do? Haven't his codes been terminated?" Finn asked.

Cardinal pushed off the door and approached them slowly, "My command level codes were terminated, pretty much before I left," he looked at Vi, who perched her lips to the side, blushing slightly, "But I helped design the algorithm that generates the lower level trooper codes."

Finn's eyes widened, "You can defragment the trooper codes?"

Cardinal nodded, with a slight shrug.

Finn's eyebrows flew up, "We can use this."

"We would want to slip in and out completely unnoticed. This is a fact finding mission only." Connix said, thinking out loud. "Finn, you and Cardinal would have the easiest time blending in."

Finn looked at Cardinal, "You ready to go back in?"

A small smile crept across Cardinal's face.

"It might mean a slight demotion?" Finn asked.

Cardinal laughed, "Let's go."

Rey looked at Connix, "Where did Kylo Ren's ship go?"

"Riosa, it showed up on scanners about an hour ago." Connix answered.

"Riosa?" Rey asked.

"It's a centrist planet, in the Inner Rim. One of their Senators was instrumental in the formation of the First Order. Our sources have indicated that the Knights of Ren occasionally use it as a meeting place. But it's more politically important; really, he's probably trying to shore up support for the First Order-"

"I need a ship." Rey interrupted.

Connix looked at her, confused.

Vi Moradi nodded, "I can help with that."

 

* * *

 

 

Kylo Ren waited for the door of the command ship to swing down, the mild, fragrant air of Riosa came flooding in around him.

The Riosan delegation waited just outside the ship, "Supreme Leader, welcome," the Prime Minister said as Kylo Ren descended. He hadn't grown accustomed to that title yet and he hesitated briefly before nodding in return.

The ambassador escorted him to the diplomatic complex where he found a well-appointed suite prepared for him.

"If you need anything during your stay, don't hesitate to ask," the ambassador told him, backing out with a low bow.

Kylo Ren looked out the window onto the Riosan Misty Meadow.

The morning light filtered in through the trees in the eastern end, broken and cut by leafy branches.

"I'll destroy her!" Kylo Ren heard the words ring through his head again. He'd shouted them to his uncle Luke, so angry, so full of hatred.

Hatred for Rey.

Hatred for Luke and a burning desire to rebel against anything he said.

Kylo's anger and agony in that moment had clouded everything he could see, experience. She had left him. He offered her everything, his power, his connection to the Force, his life. She walked away. All he felt for her, she felt nothing. He was nothing to her but she was everything to him.

He realized she had come to turn him to the light and gain his help for the Resistance, she didn't see him as a person the way he saw her.

With Rey he felt complete, balanced and whole, but she'd left him so easily.

He wasn't sure he really knew who he was sometimes. When he saw Rey he wanted to become someone noble, someone who could save the galaxy, who never made a mistake along the way. His fists clinched as he thought again how she refused to help him, they could have done so much together. They could have been so strong.

He knew she wanted a family. He could feel it the first time he was near her on Takodana. Kylo could sense her attachment to Han, his own father. He knew she would never have found belonging there, as much as Han could love others; he was never the attachment type.

Luke had disappointed her. For that, he hated Luke even more. Rey had come to Luke desperate and alone, searching for a last hope, and searching for belonging.

Kylo Ren knew he himself had failed her as well though.

Just like everyone else had. He didn't deserve her. He wasn't worthy.

"I always felt the call to the light too," an airy voice said behind him.

Kylo Ren's entire body tensed, as he knew himself to be alone.

Slowly, he turned to face his grandfather.

Anakin's face was gentle but sad, emanating blue Force light. His hair was wavy and wispy around his narrow face.

"Grandfather, my master," Kylo Ren fell to his knees, "Darth Vader, I pledge myself to you."

"Ben Solo, get up." Anakin motioned for him to rise.

Kylo Ren raised his own ghostly white face to meet his grandfather's.

"You don't know what you're saying, Ben." Anakin shook his head.

Kylo Ren rose to his feet, his face stricken and rapt in horror, "Forgive me."

"Did my son not tell you how I died?" He drew his hands into the long, wide sleeves of his robe, clasping them together in front of him, completely hidden.

Ben Solo bowed his head, Luke had indeed told him about Darth Vader's one weakness, his love for his family and Padme Amidala.

"You saved Luke from Emperor Palpatine," he answered.

Anakin nodded, "Yes, I did."

"I endeavor to finish what you started." Kylo Ren extended his gloved hand toward the window. "To bring order to the galaxy, to bring peace, to bring justice, I do this in your name."

"And have you found peace, Ben?" Anakin asked.

Kylo Ren closed his eyes and bit his lips together for a moment before answering, truthfully, "I feel only agony and confusion, guilt and regret." Anakin nodded, silent for a moment, and then, "That is what I experienced as well, from the time I came under the influence of Palpatine until..." Anakin paused a moment, his eyes narrowed slowly on Kylo Ren, "I came back to the light."

"Did you regard it as a weakness?" Kylo Ren asked.

"No, Ben," Anakin sighed.

"The regret I live with now, that I would do anything to save you from, is that I held on to the darkness far too long. Even when I knew that I should have turned away, I was so under Palpatine's power...but ultimately, it was my choice, in the end. Unwisely, I stayed in the dark side of the Force."

"But-" Kylo Ren began, but Anakin continued.

"Until I couldn't bare it any longer, until the dark side threatened one I loved, the one I loved more than my pride." Anakin smiled softly, "Luke helped save me, but the one you love can't bear the burden for you. It is your compassion that would lead you back, but you decide your path."

"There is no one, I am alone." Kylo Ren looked away as he spoke.

Anakin laughed lightly, "Luke was right about you." He shook his head, amused.

Kylo Ren's eyes burned in fury.

"Choose your path, Ben, but my advice would be that you don't wait until you have wasted your life in agony and anger." Anakin looked down at his feet and faded away without another word.

Kylo Ren hurt to his very soul. The conflict consumed him and he shook in the agony he knew so well.

Then, for a brief moment, the light of the sun peeking into the window glinted in his eyes, piercing his mind and his heart, and in that moment, he breathed in peace.


	4. The Knights of Ren

Rey's eyes squinted hard as she stepped into the bright sunlight. Vi had agreed to take her to Riosa in her ship, she was just saying good bye to Cardinal and they would be on their way. Rey had been caught up packing a small bag and wasn't sure if Vi was ready. She shielded her eyes from the light and headed toward Vi's little craft.

Vi was standing with Cardinal under the wing of the ship when Rey spotted her. _She must still be saying goodbye,_  Rey thought.

Just then Cardinal pulled Vi toward him and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, he pulled back and traced the spot with his finger for a moment. Vi reached her hand up to Cardinal's face, she smiled at him warmly and slid her hand down his arm, holding his hand for a moment and exchanging words Rey couldn't hear. Then Cardinal backed away and turned to head toward one of the huts.

Rey hadn't meant to witness an intimate moment. She glanced behind her and noticed C-3PO just inside the doorway.

"Don't mind me, but I do feel slightly out of place now that General Organa is no longer with us," he said with his head bowed slightly.

"We all miss her, Threepio." Rey nodded, she placed a hand on his arm for a moment before she turned and headed toward Vi's ship.

"All set?" Rey asked Vi.

"Yeah," she answered, wistfully glancing at Cardinal's receding form.

"First Order problem?" Rey asked with a tease in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's a problem." Vi shook her head, "Let's go to Riosa. You still need to tell me your plan for when we get there."

Rey nodded, "I need to speak with Kylo Ren," she said as she settled into the copilot seat.

"I thought you were going to say that. How are we going to do that, without him killing us, exactly?" Vi started punching buttons on the control panel.

"What do you know about the Knights of Ren?" Rey asked.

Vi's head cocked to the side, "They're a bit of a mystery but...they are rumored to meet on the outskirts of the capital once every Riosan year, there is an abandoned Imperial colosseum where they are said to meet secretly."

"That's very orderly," Rey quipped.

"Well, it's apparently the one night a year you are able to see Mustafar in the night sky from Riosa." Vi explained.

"Oh, Mustafar...Darth Vader?" Rey asked, "They gather to see his...home world?"

"Well, not his home world, but the planet where he built his castle when he became a Sith Lord." Vi answered as she pulled the joy stick back and sent them soaring into the sky.

 

* * *

 

 

Kylo Ren walked into the colosseum alone. He could hear three men gathered and talking in the otherwise deserted courtyard in low tones.

"Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader," one of the men, Timber, announced and all three immediately bowed in unison toward him.

Kylo Ren nodded and lifted his hand in thanks.

"Supreme Leader," another man, Kozine, repeated again in awe, "you will be a wise ruler."

Kylo Ren held up his gloved hand once again, this time definitively. The men grew still, reverent.

"Where is Teev?" He asked.

"Late, for some reason..." Kozine answered.

"I need to speak to all of you about something important." Kylo Ren said, his voice low.

The men looked at each other, Timber's expression grew wary.

"Our earliest training, from Luke Skywalker; I have been made to contemplate it again." He began.

"Yes, we heard of him appearing on Crait." Timber nodded, "Our old Master from the Jedi academy."

Kylo Ren took a deep breath, the impossible task stretched before him. "My fellow Knights of Ren," he began, "I feel the pull to the light, follow me as I return to the teachings of my uncle, Luke Skywalker. We have misinterpreted the life of Darth Vader."

The three men before him moved as one, in complete unity, as they ignited their lightsabers.

"Ben Solo, Hux informed us of your erratic behavior since Snoke's death at the hand of that girl." Timber said, his mouth tense.

Ben set his jaw at the mention of Rey.

"We had all hoped he was wrong. Hux suspects you may also have had a hand in the death of our Supreme Leader."

Ben Solo took one step back and ignited his own lightsaber, "The First Order must be torn down and a new order set in place, we can install a new Galactic Senate."

Timber shook his head slowly, raised his lightsaber and said, "So you weren't strong enough to resist the light."

Ben's breath caught in his throat suddenly and his eyes narrowed, there was a change in the Force around him.

Then, from the shadows at the end of the courtyard, Rey walked in.

Rey took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim light. Across the courtyard she could see three men facing Kylo Ren. In the stillness and quietness of the empty place their voices echoed through the chamber.

At first, she thought it must've been some sort of deception or some hallucination of wishful thinking on her own part. Perhaps she had yearned to hear him say those words for so long that her mind created the vision, but when the Knights of Ren ignited their lightsabers and Ben Solo stood alone facing the terrors of the dark side she could not stay hidden in the shadows any longer.

Rey reached out to Ben Solo through the Force with everything inside her. When finally, he looked across the courtyard past the Knights of Ren, there she stood, her brown hair blowing softly in the breeze.

He pressed his lips together in what could have almost been a smile, an expression of relief and gratitude and something else that she felt too.

She had no elegant weapon at her side, Luke's lightsaber having been torn in two in Snoke's throne room. Only a small blaster sat holstered on her belt, practically useless against a dark side Force user.

Their eyes met for just a brief moment before one of the Knights turned to face her. "It's the girl General Hux told us about, the one who killed Snoke." He said, his voice gruff and seething with anger.

Ben's eyes flashed with determination when the man began to walk toward Rey, crossing the courtyard with alarming speed. The other two men closed the gap left by their companion, blocking Ben's path to her, cutting him off and leaving her alone with a Knight of Ren.

Rey grimaced for a second, catching Ben's eye once more. There was so much that she wished she could say to him in that moment but instead she reached for her blaster. Ben gave her a look that she knew would always be with her from that moment on.

Her shot was easily deflected by the knight's ready lightsaber.

"Rey!" Ben shouted, tossing his lightsaber across the expanse. Rey caught it and ignited it instantly. Without another thought she ran to meet her attacker head on, their lightsabers clashing in a flash of red.

Force lightening glowed blue at the other end of the courtyard as Ben caught the knight's blasts with his bare hand, absorbing them and shooting them back. The knights were stunned for only the shortest instant but it gave Ben a chance to slip through them and burst into a powerful run across the courtyard toward Rey.

He slid to a stop, half turned, and concentrated all of his Force power on Timber to hold him frozen while Rey kicked him as hard as she could, throwing him back, and pulled his lightsaber from his hand as she flew over the top of him. She tossed it to Ben who was only a meter away now as she scrambled back up, struggling to get her feet under her. Ben caught the lightsaber in his right hand and reached with his left to Force push the two knight's running up behind him, knocking them off their balance momentarily.

Ben extended his hand down to Rey, easily pulling her to her feet, and causing a pulse in the Force between them as their hands touched. Rey looked into his dark eyes, finding a beauty there she had never seen before. Silently, he released her hand.

Then, moving as one, they turned to face the Knights of Ren.


	5. Discovery

Finn looked out into the blue streaked blackness of hyperspace. As a storm trooper, he had been in hyperspace countless times but the First Order wasn't very big on windows in crew areas.

"So, what happened?" Finn turned to Cardinal, who was sitting in the pilot's seat next to him.

"In the First Order? Why I left, you mean?" Cardinal asked.

"Yeah, you know, if there was anyone who I felt really loved it, really WAS the First Order...it was you." Finn said, flitting his hand in Cardinal's direction.

Cardinal shook his head, "I tried too hard to take Phasma down." He sighed, "But really, I guess it was Vi, she...I don't know, broke me somehow. Or maybe she broke through my brain washed shell of self-imposed armor."

Finn nodded, "I hear that."

"I actually remember you." Cardinal glanced over at him before looking back at the data stream on the panel in front of him.

"You do?" Finn asked, surprised, then cocked his head a bit, he had been quite proud of his younger training days, maybe secretly so, but still.

"FN-2187," Cardinal nodded.

"Yeah, that's right!" Finn answered.

"I didn't think you were cut out to be a storm trooper." Cardinal tapped a new set of coordinates into the data pad in front of him.

Finn pulled his chin up a bit, "Yeah, uh, me neither...Resistance now, you know how it is...wasn't me." He shook his head casually.

"You were in the first class Phasma ever took on." Cardinal continued, unaffected. "Suit up. We're getting close."

Finn felt the ship lurch slightly as they dropped out of hyperspace and the enormous star destroyer came into view. He hopped out of his seat and headed for the storage units in the back.

The storm trooper armor felt comfortable, right, and restrictive all at one time to Finn. Cardinal looked out of place to him in white, instead of his usual red, but if he felt awkward, he never let on.

"Sending docking codes now." Cardinal hit a few buttons on the console, a moment of silence followed. Finn realized he was holding his breath.

"There's the clearance," Cardinal said as he steered the ship in through the docking bay doors.

Finn's training kicked in from the moment the ship's doors opened and he stepped into the vast docking bay. He walked shoulder to shoulder with Cardinal in perfectly synchronized steps.

Cardinal guided them easily through the black and grey corridors. They received no notice from any of the personnel passing in the hall. They were like any storm troopers, nameless, faceless. Their identities were wiped clean and forgotten, their faces hidden behind the mask of the First Order.

Finally, Cardinal turned into an alcove containing a computer station. Finn stood at the ready beside him. This was arguably the most risky part of the mission as they had no good story for being at this station. Cardinal, ever the professional, worked easily, never showing emotion or anxiety of any kind. When the data had been extracted, he simply pulled out the memory chip and slipped it easily in his glove. Wordlessly, silently, he began the march back to the docking bay.

Really, Finn didn't breathe normally until their ship was blasting into hyperspace, heading back to Tatooine. He never would have admitted that to anyone though.

"Did you get anything good?" Finn asked Cardinal, who was already searching through the data on the screens in front of him.

"Not yet..." he answered, his tone hinting at irritation. Then, "This might be what Hux has in mind..." he pointed to one of the smaller screens.

"You found something?" Finn sat forward.

"It seems like they are about to bring all the Star Destroyers into formation around Riosa." Cardinal's eyes never moved from the screen.

"Riosa. Where Rey and Vi just went, Riosa?" Finn asked reaching for the data pad.

Finally, Cardinal turned his head to look at Finn, "Yeah, that Riosa."

* * *

 

 

Ben Solo centered himself and studied the two knights running toward him at full pace now. Each step, their weight shifting, the position of their sabers, each detail filtered into his mind. They had fought before, battled and spared for hours at Luke's Jedi training academy but that was controlled, ridged, devoid of emotion. Ben could feel the rage flying out of their bodies into the Force in the space around them. He lifted his lightsaber.

Kozine bent his knees, his fingertips just brushing the ground before exploding into a powerful jump that sent him two meters into the air in an arc that would bring him directly into Ben. The other knight began spinning his ignited lightsaber over his head, still advancing at full speed.

Ben parried the knight's blow with his lightsaber. He side stepped and in one clean slash he slid down the hilt of the attacker's lightsaber, cutting into the knight's hand, causing him to drop his weapon into the dirt of the coliseum floor.

Kozine's boots landed a blow into Ben's shoulder but Ben deflected his lightsaber with a strong Force push with his free hand.

Behind him, Timber pulled the other knight's lightsaber toward him, igniting it and bringing it down in a vertical swing toward Rey. She blocked him easily with his own saber still in her hand and kicked him back. Timber landed on his back and was struggling to gain purchase when Rey brought the lightsaber down on him again, impacting his shoulder and wounding him to his core. He slumped over into the dirt.

Kozine evaded Ben's saber swing by ducking into a squat. He used the opportunity to swing his lightsaber across Ben's stance. Deftly, Ben jumped to avoid him.

The injured knight in front of Ben reached his hand toward Rey, attempting to Force hold her as she turned to fight Kozine. Ben kicked him back, deflecting his hold while Rey brought her lightsaber down on Kozine who had never stood back to his full height.

The injured knight gained a Force grip on his saber and pulled it toward himself, the lightsaber spun and slid across the dirt toward him. Ben caught it with his foot, pinning it down. He looked at the crippled knight lying in the dirt of the Colosseum floor, "Join us, old friend, and break free from the slavery of the dark side."

The man snarled and directed his last energy into Force lightning that Ben caught comfortably with a lightsaber. The knight's hand dropped to his side. It was over.

Ben looked at Rey, her brown hair now streaked with sweat and dirt, standing less than an arm’s length from him. Rey studied his face from where she stood; it was the face of the man she'd seen in her dreams since she was a young girl alone in the desert of Jakku.

"The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead." Maz's voice echoed through her mind. Ben's face softened, sensing her thoughts.

Slowly, almost timidly he moved toward her. Rey's eyes never left his deep brown ones, searching for the light, the dark, and all the grey in between that she felt inside herself.

The connection. Crackling and sparking between them seemed to light up brighter as he reached her. Softly, Ben placed a hand on her waist, drawing her closer still. His other hand found her face, his fingertips brushing the stray hair away from her hazel brown eyes. His eyes locked onto hers.

"Rey," he whispered, his face lowering closer to hers but her body tensed and her eyes grew wide and frightened. Ben froze in response.

What had he thought, that she would suddenly feel the things for him that he felt for her? In anguish he pulled away from her, hating himself and every moment he'd spent in the power of the dark side. "I'm so sorry," he whispered gazing into her frightened eyes. Wishing he could take it all back, wishing he'd never drawn close to her, she still saw him as a monster.

"What happened here?" A man's voice called from the other end of the courtyard, no real curiosity touching his tone.

It was only then that he felt it; Rey was caught in a Force hold.

Ben turned to face Teev, the second in command of the Knights of Ren.

"Let her free." Ben commanded.

The man's hands shoulders drew up in an exaggerated shrug. He stopped, nodded at Ben.

"Let's go," he challenged.

Ben ignited his lightsaber and took off in a run across the courtyard. Teev parried Ben's first blow and landed his own into Ben's side, sending him rolling into the wall. Ben was instantly back on his feet and just as Teev was coming in for a second blow Ben pushed him through the Force, sending him into a stone pillar that crumbled around to the ground around him. The strength of the blow seemed to disorient Teev momentarily. Ben looked across the courtyard to Rey but she was still frozen in place, unable to break the hold Teev had on her.

Ben broke into a sprint closing the distance between him and Teev who was back on his feet, holding his lightsaber at ready. With all the strength inside him, Ben brought his saber down. The impact was so strong the ground beneath Teev's body split slightly. He took a breath, backing away from Teev's still form. Ben turned to look at Rey.

Rey stood in courtyard still completely motionless, her eyes scared but full of anger.

Ben looked back at Teev, the other fallen knights. 

_ How is this happening _ ? His mind screamed. Then he heard the footsteps behind him.

Ben turned to see General Hux stepping out of the shadows of the stone pillars, "Well done, Kylo Ren, you've eliminated one of my most difficult factions. I never much appreciated their independence."

Ben spun to see Rey still caught in place and then back to Hux. Something on Hux's hand caught his eye. It was dark but sparkled in the light.

Snoke's black diamond ring.


	6. Black Diamond

"It's a surprise to see you here." Ben called to Hux from across the courtyard.

Hux smiled, the tendons and muscles of his pale face protruding differently than Ben remembered. His face suddenly had a lumpy design to it and his neck looked sunken and worn.

"There's an old Sith legend," Hux began slowly pacing around the courtyard, seemingly distracted taking in the architecture.

Ben took the chance; he turned, treading back toward Rey.

"Release your hold on the girl and we will discuss your Sith legend further." Ben responded.

"As you wish," Hux said, flicking his hand toward Rey, the ring catching the light of the sun streaming in the open air ceiling above them.

Rey's body instantly relaxed and she fell to her knees in exhaustion. Ben crossed the courtyard faster then. She was just attempting to stand when he reached her. Rey raised her face to look at him, a moment of mutual dread passing between them. Rey noticed Ben's jaw clinching and his mouth was forming a slight pout. Rey's own brow furrowed slightly, glancing toward Hux. Ben nodded and silently offered her his hand.

Without a word she took his proffered hand. Ben pulled her to her feet and turned to face General Hux, never releasing her smaller hand from his.

"Your legend, General," Ben prompted him.

Hux continued strolling the courtyard, "Yes, a dark lord, long ago...he became very powerful, he was eccentric, he liked what he liked. He was strong in the dark side of the Force."

Ben eyed the distance to the entrance to the arena. Hux would surely have troopers waiting in the corridor he had just entered. Their only chance of escape was in the wide open space of the arena.

"What did he like?" Ben asked, tugging gently at Rey's hand as he started to fall back, toward the gate of the arena.

Rey looked quickly behind her; she eyed the gate and must have followed his reasoning. She took a step back but stopped.

"He liked shiny, sparkling things." Hux held his new trinket up to the light, smiling mischievously.

Rey looked at Ben and softly through the Force, whispered, "We stay. Fight. Don't run."

Ben closed his eyes momentarily, everything inside him wanted to break into a run and drag Rey with him, through the gates, over a wall if he had to, anything in order to get her away from Hux and whatever dark side power he had found.

"This Sith master, he found this intriguing ability. He found a way to keep those he cared about from dying." Hux looked at them then, taking them in. "I knew you felt something for her from the moment you brought her onto your command ship." He clicked his tongue, "I always saw your compassion for her, even before you realized you could feel it. Your draw to the light always weakened you to what truly needed to be done, Ben Solo."

Rey felt Ben's hand tighten around hers, through the Force he whispered, "This is a kill box, look up."

Rey slowly raised her eyes to the sky above her.

A star destroyer.

_ What does he intend to do? Blow up the whole colosseum to kill Ben? He would destroy the whole city with a Star Destroyer blast!  _ She thoughts screamed silently.

She looked back to Ben, his expression was sad, sensing her thoughts. Not long ago, he too lacked the compassion for innocent lives that Hux was demonstrating.

Rey's eyes flitted to the arena gates while Hux droned on, "...that day in the throne room, I suspected you were lying about who really killed Supreme Leader Snoke. However, it wasn't until we cleared out the throne room to prepare for our new Supreme Leader that we came across this, little..." he laughed here, "...gem. I really thought Snoke would have told you about it but I suspect, no. I know why now, he didn't trust you. So, as luck has it, the ring has landed on my finger." Hux smiled but his eyes were still lined in red and his face appeared permanently strained.

Ben released Rey's hand then. "Run," he said lifting both hands and creating a sudden Force push around Hux.

Hux was strong in the Force but his untrained skills did not serve him well when he encountered the element of surprise. Rey took off in a run toward the gate. Ben was just behind her, despite his delay, his long legs carrying him faster across the courtyard.

The pair skidded into the arena at full speed but slid to a stop when they met with the sight of a legion of no less than a hundred storm troopers. Every trooper had their blaster at ready. Ben tried to shift Rey behind him to shield her but effort proved fruitless. They were trapped.

Hux emerged from the gate behind them, "Oh yes, you'll notice that I don't rely on this ancient religion alone as some do, I fully recognize the power of a capable military."

Hux rounded them, stopping just between his beloved troops and Ben and Rey.

"Sadly, some members of the Order received news that you, Ben, had assumed command of the First Order. A grave...mistake." He shook his head. "We must remedy this, somehow."

Ben felt himself growing weary of the game, "What do you want me to do, Hux?" He demanded.

"Now that's a good question!" Hux raised a finger into the air, "I have arranged an opportunity for you, here on Riosa, to set the record straight, as it were. You will pledge fealty, to me."

Ben surveyed the arena around him, "Wouldn't it be easier just to kill me?"

Hux's spindly hand reached for his heart. "Dear friend," he said in mock surprise.

Rey eyed the Star Destroyer above them conspicuously.

Hux dipped his head once toward her, "Alright, yes, I came prepared, but how would it look? For me? A First Order General, to assassinate a perceived Supreme Leader? Surely not." He brushed his uniform of some invisible piece of dust, "Such things aren't regarded well by political leaders, such things fuel," he paused, disgusted by the word about to proceed from his mouth, "rebellions."

* * *

 

Ben Solo stepped aboard the transport and allowed the troopers to direct him unceremoniously into a seat. Rey stepped in after him, fighting the troopers hold on her to the last.

The doors closed behind the last trooper, leaving Ben and Rey alone in the dimly lit transport vehicle holding bay.

"You can't do it, Ben." Rey said as soon as the doors closed.

"All he can do is kill me, I'm not afraid." Ben said staring straight ahead of him, refusing to look at her, "Don't worry, I won't give him what he wants."

Rey's lips pressed together and she looked away, hiding her face from him.

Ben watched her, unsure what he was seeing. Nobody had cared for him in such a long time. Anybody he had ever hoped would care had always seemed content to let him go. He expected no different from her. But she wouldn't look at him.

The transport vehicle lurched to a start but without any windows it was impossible to know where they were headed.

"Look at me, please." Ben asked, his voice low and rough.

He could see her swallow and take a jagged breath before slowly turning to face him. Rey's face was streaked with tears.

Everything inside him wanted to reach out to her. Every cell in his body wanted to gather her into his arms, hold her small frame against his and kiss her repeatedly; assuring her everything would be fine. Ben didn't move a millimeter. He really couldn't promise that.

"I don't think Hux will hurt you, Rey, he's only interested in you as you pertain to me. Once I'm out of the picture he'll leave this planet and get distracted on his victory tour as the new Supreme Leader." Ben spoke quietly, and softly, the way somebody would calm a frightened animal.

"I'm not worried for myself." She whispered.

Ben stared at her with terrified eyes. This woman he had wronged, mistreated, underestimated, and misjudged, this woman he cared for more than anything in the galaxy, what was she saying? He knew if he moved toward her even a little he might scare her, the look of her frightened eyes in the courtyard as he held her flashed into his mind. What if that hadn't only been because of Hux's Force hold? What if she had been truly frightened and repulsed by him?

"Am I not a monster to you?" He asked, his lips trembling as he spoke.

"No," she whispered, but she hadn't really whispered, she had just formed the word with her mouth and he had heard her shaking voice in his mind.

The transport bumped to a stop and instantly the doors flew open.

Hux himself greeted them at the door, "From here we will travel in my coach. I think that will give us the best look, really. How would I look for Kylo Ren to arrive at the Imperial Assembly in a lowly transport vehicle after all?" Hux motioned toward his vehicle, "After you."

Rey stood up to exit the transport. Ben crossed the transport in an instant; he was just behind her, his head bent low to her ear, so close she could feel his warm breath on her skin. "Follow my lead," he whispered.

Together, they stepped out of the transport and followed Hux to his vehicle.

Rey settled down in a seat that allowed her to stare openly at Hux. She studied his mannerism and demeanor. She eyed the ring. Such a small item seemed to carry a magnificent power inside it.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Hux said noticing her stare.

Rey didn't answer, only watched him steadily from across the coach.

"You want it for yourself," he laughed, "I sense the pull do the dark side within you as well. Yet you, of all people, managed to pull my most prominent apprentice into the light."

Rey broke her gaze, choosing instead to look out the window at the growing crowds.

Ben took a deep breath, giving his anger a moment to subside.

"What do you want me to say to them?" Ben asked.


	7. Redemption

Ben Solo stepped up to the podium and looked out into the massive crowd of Riosans, citizens of nearby systems, and former New Republic senators from Centrist worlds gathered near the front. Music filled the hall and resonated inside Ben's ears.

Hux sat in a regal looking chair on the stage near the podium, with Rey seated close beside him in a chair of simple design. Ben smiled inwardly as he saw her eyes throwing darts into Hux, her fire was unquenchable.

Just behind Ben, a row of praetorian guards stood at ready. The official explanation would have been the protection of First Order leadership, but Ben knew their electro-plasma blades would come down swiftly into his back when Hux gave the order.

He looked down at the datapad one more time as the regal music hit the grand ending note. The speech stretched before him in an endless scroll. Ben had never been one for speeches or crowds and he felt his mouth go dry. He had always expected his death to come on the battlefield not in some diplomatic setting before politicians.

Finally, the music ended and silence reigned in the hall. Somebody coughed in the crowd. Ben could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest now. Hux shifted uneasily in his seat.

Ben turned to look at Rey. Her tear-filled eyes pierced into his soul. Compassion for her surged within him.

"I'm so sorry, Rey, for everything," he told her, speaking to her through the Force. Rey closed her eyes and tears released, spilling down her cheeks. Ben's lips pressed together as he forced himself to look away and back at the datapad on the podium. There was so much he would never be able to tell her, the things he would never even know if she wanted to hear.

"My fellow citizens of the First Order," he began.

"Stop," he heard Rey's voice echoing through his mind, "just read the speech, just do what he wants, we'll figure something else out."

Ben swallowed, and took a breath to steady himself, endangering her was not an option. His only hope to save Rey was to remove the target Hux had on her by taking himself out of the picture. Ben's only chance to impact the galaxy in a way that would have pleased his mother was in this moment, here, before her former senate colleagues.

"We have gathered here in this place to bring clarity and order to the galaxy once again." He continued.

"Ben," she said again, "please."

Ben stopped; took a breath to steady himself and said:

"The only way our galaxy will ever truly experience peace is by reinstating the Senate of the New Republic."

Ben felt a whoosh of air as the vibro-axe flew out of the guard's hands behind him. He turned to face the guards just as a Bilari electro-chain whip slashed into his chest, electrifying and slicing his flesh in one motion. Ben fell to his knees. One of the guards seized the opportunity and kicked Ben hard on his back, driving his face into the cool stage platform. He could see Rey out of the corner of his vision wielding the axe toward Hux. Hux parried and Force pushed her, sending her sprawling into the platform. One of the guards stepped between her and Hux. She gained her footing enough to swing the axe across his legs severing the tendons of his ankles. He crumpled to the ground in front of her, falling onto his electro-chain. His body shook with the electric shock.

Rey leapt over him, closing the distance between herself and Hux. In one sweeping cut she severed his arm and sent it spilling to the floor beneath him. Ben could see the guards turn on her as they realized their Supreme Leader was being attacked. Ben tried to push himself up to help her, his hands pushing against the floor with all his might but failing to lift his body one millimeter.

Hux extended his remaining hand toward Rey as if to Force push her but without the black diamond ring he found no connection to the Force around him. She raised the axe above her head and with the savage strength of a Jakku scrapper she landed a fatal blow into General Hux.

Ben saw her shift toward the approaching guards as his vision began to collapse from the outer edges of his periphery. Slowly, the picture of Rey became black and white and then she faded away into darkness.

 

* * *

 

Rey turned the ring over in her hand. The black diamond was chipped and scratched.

"I don't know what to do with it," she whispered frantically to Ben as she knelt beside him on the stage. He lay motionless, barely breathing.

The thought of the dark side and all of its power coursing through her was terrifying and at the same time filled her with temptation.

" _This Sith master, he found this intriguing ability, he found a way to keep those he cared about from dying._ " She recalled Hux saying.

Ben's breathing was shallow and labored, she pushed him over to his back to examine his wounds, she had seen wounds like that in the deserts of Jakku, they had always been fatal.

Tears streamed down her face unheeded.

"You belong with me," she whispered, lowering her head to his wounded chest. Her tears soaked into the black fabric of his clothing.

She could feel his breathing slowing further, his heart rate sporadic and weak. She sat up, wiped her face with her sleeve and looked at the ring in her hand again.

Rey slipped the black diamond ring onto her finger.

Suddenly, the breath left her body, leaving her gasping for air. The dark side of the Force surrounded her. She felt her fear, anxiety, and anger swirling around her, fueling the power of the ring. The world took on a reddish glow for a moment while she struggled to regain her bearings.

Rey focused on Ben, his face was white like ash. Her stomach convulsed looking at him. All of the sudden, everything about him repulsed her, his weakness and helplessness. Hatred welled up inside her as she beheld him. Her eyes caressed the diagonal scar on his face; she smiled with pride at her handiwork.

A thought settled into Rey's heart slowly, with each passing second it grew stronger. With General Hux and Ben Solo out of the way and the ring sitting comfortably on her finger she could easily take control of the First Order, the galaxy. She smiled softly. It would be so easy really. All she had to do was let him die, there on that stage.

The cave under the Jedi temple crossed her mind. It had been so intriguing; awakening a curiosity inside her she hadn't realized was there before. If only it had shown her the parents she hardly remembered.

Rey thought of telling Ben about the cave, how she should have been afraid, how she felt alone.

"You're not alone." His voice echoed through her heart, reverberating there for a long moment.

A tear trickled down her cheek. The thought of never feeling his presence again made her hurt deep in her soul.

"Neither are you," she said it aloud. "You belong with me."

She gathered his hand into hers, reaching to him through the Force. It was difficult to find him, she couldn't feel him like she always had before. He was slipping away.

The farther he slipped away from her, the more she felt the call to the dark side, tempting and sickly sweet.

Carefully, she started pulling every strand she could find of him together, knitting them together, "Come back to me, Ben," she whispered.

She remembered the vision she had on Ahch-To when she touched his hand, he was standing in the light and she was there with him, standing by his side. She held that picture in her mind, focusing and sharpening every detail until it was solid.

Rey's swept her fingers along his jawline, his pulse beating under her fingertips.

"Stay with me, please." Rey whispered, closing her eyes and lowering her head back to his chest.

Suddenly, the Force crackled and sparked and flashed in the space between them.

Rey felt Ben's hand tighten around hers.

Rey could feel Ben's pulse growing stronger as she held his hand in hers. She pushed his dark, unruly hair out of his face.

The hall grew dim very abruptly; she looked around, unsure what was happening. It seemed something was blocking the sun.

No, she thought, it can't be...but of course, yes, Hux would have had a fail-safe in place for if anything went wrong. The First Order would not be thrown into disarray so easily.

She ran to a door left flung open after the exodus of the massive crowd. The enormous Star Destroyer loomed above her.

No doubt it was powering its weapons.

She frantically looked about at the city filled with innocent life. They deserved better than to become a pawn in this game of the First Order. Her anger raged at their hatred and carelessness. It was time for this to stop. If violence and aggression was the only language they understood than she was more than willing to comply.

In the distance, she could see a large field, a marshy area bearing only a small hutch that seemed to house livestock of some sort. It was her only hope.

"Just like floating rocks," she muttered, her eyes narrowed. She raised her hands toward the ship; her eye caught the light glinting off the ring. It still sat on her finger; she could feel it enhancing her connection to the Force already flowing through her. The ring focused and pulled the Force around her, the dark side blending with the light in a grey mix she couldn't distinguish exactly.

She directed every thought and intention inside her to reach for the Star Destroyer. She could feel it, sense it just out of her grasp, then closer, and closer still.

 

* * *

 

Captain Phasma stood aboard the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer bridge. The ship was in her command. All contact with First Order leadership on the surface had been lost. As of that moment, she was the acting Supreme Leader.

"Ready the ion cannons." She instructed the armory officer at post.

"Yes, ma'am," The officer answered, already tapping the order into system controls.

Phasma turned to the observation screen, the planet lay before them, the hall tucked into a city that was about to be destroyed. Riosa would look something like her own stricken planet in just a moment, Phasma mused.

"Captain," the officer at the helm called her, his voice was excited and nervous and grated on her nerves, "I've lost control of the thrusters."

"You what?" Phasma turned incredulously to face him.

"I have no active controls...everything just went...it's all dead now." He stammered.

Phasma typed in an override command into the console before her, there was no response.

Then every console on the bridge went dark.

"What's going on! Why have we lost power?" Phasma demanded to know.

Bewildered officers gaped back at her, unsure what to say.

The ship lurched to the side knocking several officers off their feet. Phasma held onto the console to steady herself.

"Do we have any instrumentation?" She asked.

"None, ma'am," A young woman answered as she scrambled back into her seat.

Phasma edged her way across the severely tilted bridge toward the window; the surface of Riosa appeared much larger and was quickly growing closer.

"How is this happening?" She whispered.

 

* * *

 

Rey struggled to control the Star Destroyer as the planet's gravity took a stronger hold of it, but it was important that she direct the ship to the field and away from the populated city. Her anger wanted to let it smash into pieces as it descended but she reminded herself of Finn, another unwilling participant in the First Order's plans and all the other kidnapped storm troopers aboard that Star Destroyer, brainwashed since childhood into believing they were in the side of the good. She cried in agony for a moment as she gave everything left inside her to direct a controlled decent of the vessel. The ship came to rest in the marsh, outside the city, without having fired a single laser blast.

Rey wanted to collapse there on the pavement beside the building but she desperately needed to see Ben. She needed to know he was alright.


	8. The Falcon

Rey lifted her head to look at Ben's face. His eyes slowly blinked open.

"You...saved me." He propped himself up on his elbows, "How did you...?"

Rey nodded slowly, "I used the Force."

"But I felt, something, darker." He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his strength returning.

Rey pulled back from him, extracting her hand from his. He watched her pull away from him, feeling her loss.

Ben saw the ring on her hand; a jolt ran through him like a lightning bolt.

"Rey, you need to take that ring off." He said gently but with an urgency in his voice.

"I know, but it...helped me save you. It's very...powerful." She shrunk back from him a little further.

"It's too powerful." Ben held out his hand to her.

She nodded, searching his eyes, searching his feelings. There was no deceit in his heart. Gone was the confusion she had always found there before.

Slowly, she held out the hand which bore the ring. Extending it toward him, fingers outstretched.

Silently, he reached for her, slowly, knowing anything sudden may startle her into pulling the ring back and diving into the darkness.

Their hands met, carefully, Ben pulled the ring off her finger and slowly lowered it to the floor beside them. He rested it there, covered by his hand for a moment while he studied her face.

Rey gazed at him earnestly. Ben could feel trust gain a footing inside her, she smiled at him softly and nodded. He lifted his hand from the ring and reached toward her face, brushing his fingers along her cheek. She leaned her face into his hand, finding comfort there.

"Rey," he whispered, lowering his face to look into her eyes.

Rey reached for him then, burying herself in his chest and feeling his arms encircle her just as quickly. One hand caught, fingers tangled in her hair while his other arm held her tightly to him. His lips pressed kisses into her hair. Rey had never felt so safe, so secure as she did then, wrapped in his arms.

The clamor of voices reached her. She never wanted to leave the warmth of his embrace and willed her ears to ignore them.

"Rey! There you are!"

"We need to go!"

The voices called to her.

She felt Ben's body stiffen slightly as she began to pull away from him, he wasn't ready to release her. Together, they stood to their feet but his hands still clung to her gently, circling her waist and holding her near him.

She could see them then, Finn, Poe, Vi and Cardinal running through the now-empty hall toward them. As if in unison, they skidded to a stop when they saw Ben, standing close to her, holding her. Finn began to raise his weapon instinctively.

"No, stop," Rey held her hand out toward Finn for a moment, "it's alright."

She covered Ben's hand with hers, lacing her fingers together with his, it felt right, she noticed.

Finn watched her carefully, then incredulously. Vi's face broke into a broad smile, "Ok, but we still need to go. There is a massive crowd forming outside, citizens and defecting First Order troopers. It's chaos, huge."

Rey's mouth opened slightly in surprise, she looked up at Ben, "It worked." She whispered. He smiled at her in a way that Rey found herself reveling in and kissed her forehead gently.

"Ok, that's going to take some getting used to." Finn quipped to Poe who nodded, eyebrows raised.

 

* * *

 

The group of resistance fighters climbed aboard the Millennium Falcon. Rey followed closely behind them. Chewbacca stood at the doorway of the Falcon, helping them aboard.

"Chewie," she said, as she let him wrap her in a strong embrace against his furry form.

Ben stopped just at the base of the ramp, staring into the open doorway. His hands clinched into fists and he turned to look around for a moment, attempting to maintain control of his emotions. The regret and guilt welled up inside him as he looked into the Millennium Falcon ahead of him. The sight of Chewbacca, his father's most loyal companion standing on his father’s ship overwhelmed him.

Rey, feeling a disturbance in the Force, turned to look back at Ben who seemed frozen in place. Slowly, she walked back down the ramp toward him. She stood close to him and looked up into his eyes silently. Rey could feel his guilt and shame, every bit of him was covered in remorse.

"It's ok," she whispered.

"How do I go on from here, after everything I've done? My parents, my uncle, they'd never forgive me. My father..." he shook his head, avoiding her eyes.

Rey took his hand in both of hers, "We'll find a way together." she said quietly. He looked at her then, unbelieving that such a woman could care for him.

Rey turned finally, pulling him gently with her into the Millennium Falcon.

Chewie waited at the door. Chewie, who had known Ben his whole life. He had known Ben as the infant son to his young parents, as a small boy hiding under the bench in the galley of the Falcon playing hide and seek, as a youth leaving for Luke's Jedi academy, and later, as a killer on Starkiller Base. Chewie met him at the door with a hesitant posture. He gave a low roar, telling Rey he wasn't sure if this was indeed a good idea. Rey knew the Wookie couldn't see into Ben's heart the way she could and gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.

The doors closed behind them.

"The Resistance is gathering on Naboo, the people are reinstating the monarchy, Connix has asked us to be there." Vi announced as Rey and Ben entered the cockpit.

Rey settled into the co-pilot's seat across from Poe, "I'll get started on the calculations to jump to hyper speed."

"Wait, we need to make a stop first." Ben touched her shoulder. She turned to face him, his hand patted his pocket where the ring resided, hidden.

"Where?" She asked.

"Set a course for the Mustafar System." Ben answered.

 

* * *

 

The lounge of the Millennium Falcon was cold and quiet. Rey stood at the far end by the med station holding a roll of bacta tape. She pulled her sleeve up to expose the cut on her arm. She had hastily wrapped a piece of her sash around it after her fight with Hux earlier in the day but she knew it needed medical attention. The others had been so absorbed in the excitement of the revolution she hadn't had a chance to deal with it.

From where she stood, she could hear Ben talking with Chewbacca in the hall by the cockpit. Initially, she had been surprised that he spoke Wookie. Of course, it made sense though. Chewbacca had been a large part of his early life.

Ben was explaining about his pull back to the light but Chewbacca wasn't so easily persuaded, he had witnessed him on Starkiller Base, he had been the one to shoot Ben in the side. Ben's voice grew quiet.

"I know you missed that kill shot on purpose, Chewie," he said softly.

Silence was followed by a low grief-filled moan from Chewie, the conversation grew very quiet and Rey couldn't distinguish their words any longer.

Finally, Ben walked into the lounge, quietly moving toward her, "Chewbacca practically helped raise me." He said with a small smile, but it quickly faded. "He dropped me off at Luke's Jedi academy."

 He settled into a chair near her.

"Was that the last time you saw him?" She asked, but she bit her lip, wishing she had thought for a moment longer before she spoke.

Ben didn't seem offended, just answered barely above a whisper, "Yeah, until Starkiller base."

"Is he ok?" She asked, glancing toward the cockpit.

"He isn't completely sure he should trust me, but I tried to explain," Ben said. "He's actually a little worried about you."

"Me?" She asked.

"He's afraid I'm going to..." Ben shook his head, one quick shake that cut off his words, too terrible to say.

"Going to...hurt me." She finished.

Ben met her gaze and nodded.

Rey saw the shame etched onto his features again.

"You know he jettisoned my escape pod himself," she smiled.

Ben lifted his head, "Where?"

"To the Supremacy, right as he dropped out of light speed, then took off." Rey laughed softly remembering the insanity.

Ben's eyes widened a moment, but then he lifted his hand and pushed his hair out of his eyes and shook his head slightly. Rey found herself liking that movement, wondering if it was a nervous habit or truly purposeful.

She turned her attention back to her arm, unwrapping the sash and exposing the wound that looked uglier than she had anticipated.

Kylo was immediately on his feet, "How did this happen? We should have taken care of this hours ago."

"It's ok," she told him calmly, reaching for the cleaning solution, but her hand was shaking slightly as she began to pour the blue liquid over her arm.

"Here, let me," Ben took the bottle from her trembling hand.

Holding her injured arm in one hand and the solution in the other, he cleaned the cut. Silently, he reached for the roll of bacta tape from the tray. Rey watched him carefully apply the tape to the wound. He pressed it down gently with his fingers. His fingers slid down the length of the tape to apply the bandage but then continued tracing the length of her arm caressing her tan skin until he reached her palm, where he gathered her hand cold into both of his.

"I will never hurt you." He whispered.

Rey studied his eyes and felt his energy spilling into the Force around him, "I know that, Ben."


	9. Balance

The Millennium Falcon settled onto a landing pad in front of Darth Vader's historic home.

Ben led the way off the ship toward an outlook to the side of the castle's main landing. Lava and hot boiling molten rock flowed in front of them at great speed, bits of hardened rock sped by on the fiery surface.

The heat of the river of lava below them whipped at Ben's face as he came to the edge. He turned to Rey.

"This lava is hot enough to melt rock and metal within seconds." Ben told her, motioning to the planet's surface. Rey looked out at the horrific landscape, "Why did your Grandfather build his castle here, in this awful place?"

"A good question," Ben said with a slight twinkle in his eye, "for another time."

He reached into his pocket to retrieve the ring. "The ring?" She asked.

Ben nodded, growing more serious, "It's too powerful, too dark to be hidden away somewhere only to be found again."

Rey agreed, quietly searching his expression, the power in that ring had held Ben captive for years before he ever realized Snoke was using the trinket for its Force connection. The same ring had also saved his life only the day before.

"It needs to be destroyed." Ben said, holding her gaze.

Rey nodded.

Ben placed the ring in her hand. She turned it over once, looking again at the jagged edges and the patina of the gold. Rey took a deep breath to steady herself and threw it as hard as she could into the flaming, molten lava.

The ring splashed into the soft liquid rock and sank beneath the flow, melting and joining together with the rock and lava of the planet. Rey and Ben could see a cloud of dark Force light explode from the surface where the ring hit as it began to disintegrate, releasing a history of darkness they would never know. The diamond held fast a moment longer before popping and shattering into dust, tiny fragments, each carried away from each other in the current.

Rey looked back to Ben, who was staring intently at a platform a little farther up the embankment.

"What it is?" Rey asked.

"Look, there," he said motioning.

Rey looked to see Luke Skywalker, haloed in blue Force light standing with three other men also shrouded in Force light. Ben would later tell her those men were his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, and two other Jedi, Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn.

Luke smiled Ben and Rey, and dipped his head in a nod.

Ben smiled in return and bowed his head for moment.

"What does it mean?" Rey asked.

"It means we have brought balance to the Force, at last." Ben said, reaching for her slowly and pulling her close to him.

Rey reached up to his face, her fingertips tracing the scar from their first meeting.

"At last," she repeated softly.

Ben lowered his face close to hers, brushing his lips against her cheek. He pulled away slightly to look into her eyes but Rey closed the distance between them again, wrapping her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers through his hair and pulling him toward her again.

Ben kissed her softly, timidly at first, as if he still couldn't quite believe she would want him to, still giving her a chance to change her mind. He pulled back to look into her eyes again, "I love you, Rey, you're everything to me, you're everything."

Rey smiled slowly, "I know."

Ben smiled and kissed her again. 

 

* * *

 

Vi Moradi led the way out onto the lush, green grass of Naboo. Finn waited for Rose before taking her hand in his and following her down the ramp.

Connix was waiting in the meadow to meet them.

"Thank you for coming," she said as the group approached, "the government of Naboo is holding their election for queen. It's the first time in 20 years. They asked that members of the Resistance be on hand at the ballot count this evening to show our support."

Rose looked to Finn and smiled, "It's a good thing we brought one of the 'Heroes of the Resistance' with us then." She winked at him, remembering their first meeting. Finn pulled her into a warm hug in return, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"May the Force be with you," He joked back, remembering his feeble attempt to be cool in that moment.

Connix was ready to move on though, "I thought we would split up and visit a few precincts this afternoon and then this evening's ballot count is going to be more of a formal affair so if...everyone could..." she stammered to a halt, her mouth agape and her head tilting to the side.

Ben Solo descended the ramp toward her, he looked like himself of course, but also different. His black clothing was replaced by neutral browns and beiges. He wore pants and a flight jacket similar to Poe's. His hair was full and wavy, no longer tamed by military standards. He looked like he should have felt comfortable but somehow he appeared awkward nonetheless.

Connix shook her head, regaining her composure quickly, "I knew, I did...I just didn't realize he was coming. Here." She said to herself more than the others.

Ben paused a couple meters away from the small group, certain that if he moved any closer Connix would bolt.

Rey went to stand beside Ben. He reached for her instinctively, as he seemed to do whenever she was near.

"Leia would have..." Connix began, but her voice broke before she could finish.

Ben bowed his head, the shame seemed too heavy to bear at times. Rey lifted her hand to his cheek, guiding his gaze to meet hers.

"Leia loved you, she would have been very happy." Rey whispered.

Ben nodded, gathering strength from her words.

Connix took a breath, "Alright, well, the problem is that Kylo Ren's presence here may actually send the wrong message to the citizens of Naboo. Even though we all...trust him. They may feel intimidated into not participating in the election."

Ben took a step back, towards the Falcon.

"You're...absolutely correct. No, I should go." He pulled away from Rey and turned from the rest of the group.

"Ben?" Rey asked.

"I'm not helping here, I shouldn't be here." Ben mumbled, "I'm just going to go, I don't want to interfere."

"Hey, do you need a pilot? I don't mind." Poe offered.

"No. Thank you." Ben answered as he ascended the ramp. He headed straight for the cockpit, immediately punching in a launch code. It had been a while since his father had shown him the controls on the old ship but he knew his way around.

Connix looked at the group, Cardinal had settled naturally beside Vi but turned to look toward the Falcon, wondering if maybe he should have been leaving this political minefield as well. He ran his hand through his hair, "I actually think he goes by 'Ben' now."

Connix blinked a couple times, "Oh, right." She nodded. "There have been reports that Phasma is running for office in one of the outer rim planets near her destroyed home world." The group looked surprised, except for Cardinal and Vi.

"She'll always abandon her allegiance to the new highest bidder." Vi murmured.

"It's causing a lot of rumors that perhaps this democratic uprising is not as organic as we would like it to be, that perhaps it's just a ploy of the First Order to maintain control in a new way." Connix finished, her brow slightly furrowed.

Ben closed the hatch from inside the cockpit and lifted off the ground, a tear stole down his face. It was too much to hope he would be accepted, it was ridiculous really.

A moment later he was leaving Naboo's atmosphere and the auto pilot clicked on.

"Where are we headed?" A soft voice asked from the door way.

Ben's throat constricted, far too tight to allow a word to escape. He crossed the small space in an instant and pulled Rey into his arms, burying his face in her hair.

"Where were you going without me?" She asked, her tone teasing but her voice small, unsure.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered again and again into her hair, "I didn't think you would want to be anywhere near me, they all loath me, and they're right to...I just assumed you felt the same."

She pulled away from him to look into his eyes, filled with tears, "Search your feelings. I belong with you. Where we go now, we go together."

"You'll never..." He started to ask, broken and desperate.

Rey just shook her head, weaving her fingers into his dark, wavy hair, "I'll never leave you, I love you."

He pulled her close again and held her tight against him for a long moment. Finally he asked, "Where do we go?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be leaving Ben Solo and Rey here for now. The repair of his public image and his next steps in life are two aspects to this story that I will leave to the reader's imagination at this point.  
> When the novelization of The Last Jedi is released in March, I may come back to make a few alterations or add a chapter but for now I feel this story is complete.  
> My goals for this story were to establish a realistic and satisfying redemption arc for Ben Solo and a healthy relationship between him and Rey.  
> It was important to me that he work out his attraction to the dark side on his own because as in real life, we can't change other people. Rey is not able to change him or save him anymore than any one of us could change another human being.  
> I hope you found this story true to the characters and a fun extension to the last movie while we wait for Episode 9.  
> Thank you so much for reading and following along!


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